What Now?

Lift up yourself, you judge of the earth: render a reward to the proud.

LORD, how long shall the wicked, how long shall the wicked triumph?

How long shall they utter and speak hard things? and all the workers of iniquity boast themselves?

They break in pieces your people, O LORD, and afflict your heritage.

They slay the widow and the stranger, and murder the fatherless.

Yet they say, The LORD shall not see, neither shall the God of Jacob regard it.

Understand, all of you brutish among the people: and all of you fools, when will all of you be wise?

He that planted the ear, shall he not hear? he that formed the eye, shall he not see?

He that chastises the heathen, shall not he correct? he that teaches man knowledge, shall not he know?

The LORD knows the thoughts of man, that they are vanity.

Blessed is the man whom you chasten, O LORD, and teach him out of your law;

That you may give him rest from the days of adversity, until the pit be dug for the wicked.

For the LORD will not cast off his people, neither will he forsake his inheritance.

But judgment shall return unto righteousness: and all the upright in heart shall follow it.

Who will rise up for me against the evildoers? or who will stand up for me against the workers of iniquity?

Unless the LORD had been my help, my soul had almost dwelt in silence.

When I said, My foot slips; your mercy, O LORD, held me up.

In the multitude of my thoughts within me your comforts delight my soul.

Shall the throne of iniquity have fellowship with you, which frames mischief by a law?

They gather themselves together against the soul of the righteous, and condemn the innocent blood.

But the LORD is my defence; and my God is the rock of my refuge.

And he shall bring upon them their own iniquity, and shall cut them off in their own wickedness; yea, the LORD our God shall cut them off.

In singing this psalm, what do we pray? The Law of the LORD is perfect; so it brings their own iniquity upon the wicked, and cuts them off by means thereof. For evil devours itself, and the wages of sin is death. But the world’s feedback of death to error is not always immediate. In singing Psalm 94, we pray that the Law may operate swiftly, and soon confound those who flout it.

Yet blessed is the man whom the LORD thus chastens. When we pray that the Law may operate swiftly, we must remember that it will school us, too. Best, then, to keep our wicks trim and dry.

Psalm 101

I will sing of mercy and judgment: unto you, O LORD, will I sing.

I will behave myself wisely in a perfect way. O when will you come unto me? I will walk within my house with a perfect heart.

I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes: I hate the work of them that turn aside; it shall not cleave to me.

A perverse heart shall depart from me: I will not know a wicked person.

Whoso privately slanders his neighbour, him will I cut off: him that has an high look and a proud heart will not I suffer.

Mine eyes shall be upon the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with me: he that walks in a perfect way, he shall serve me.

He that works deceit shall not dwell within my house: he that tells lies shall not tarry in my sight.

I will early destroy all the wicked of the land; that I may cut off all wicked doers from the city of the LORD.

The Hebrew psalmist regarded himself as a plaintiff come to the Lord’s Court to ask for justice for himself.
But the Christian regards himself as a Defendant in the same court.
The evildoer is he himself, the babes of Babylon are His thoughts.

When we talk of damnation, it is OUR possible damnation that must be at the forefront of our thoughts.